Tag Archives: education

We have 3 actions to take on national issues. Oppose the House Budget which slashes trillions of dollars from healthcare, food and income assistance, education and more. Oppose HR 38 – giving domestic violence offenders the right to stalk and kill their intimate partners across state lines! Oppose HR 36 – another abortion ban.

Thank you to National Task Force to End Sexual & Domestic Violence and to National Women’s Law Center for the information.

Action Alert 1: Tell your Rep. to vote “NO” on the US House budget: it slashes trillions from Medicaid, Medicare, food and income assistance, education, housing and more. It takes the money to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy, and for corporations!

The Charlotte NOW chapter participated in the Charlotte March for Education held at Marshall Park in uptown Charlotte. Marches for Public Education were held simultaneously across our nation including Washington, DC, on Saturday, July 22, 2017. We had a very enthusiastic group of supporters on a very hot summer day. Melba Evans represented the Charlotte NOW chapter in speaking about many aspects of problems with public education today (like the inequities of education in high poverty neighborhoods) and the devastating effects the Trump DeVos plan will have on all our public schools, colleges and universities.

You are invited to a community forum about the calls for a Safe Zone Resolution and Policy for immigrant students in Wake County Public School (WCPSS).

WCPSS Board members, County Commissioners, the Mayor and City Council members have been invited to listen to stories from immigrant students, families, and advocates about their experiences in schools in the current political climate, the increase in racist incidents, and the clarification of boundaries for School Resource Officers’ (SRO’s) interactions with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Durham Community rallying to protect Wildin Acosta, a student grabbed on his way to school one morning. Photo Credit: ABC News

The NC House finished its budget so now is time for budget negotiations between House and Senate. Update on SCOTUS ruling on NC’s gerrymandering case and another case. See NC NOW Legislative Update #18, 6/4/17 for a more on budget negotiations and the Supreme Court ruling with regard to two cases in NC.

“The House passed its budget just after midnight on Thursday. The House and Senate have already agreed on setting the budget for 2017 fiscal year at $22.9 billion, which will simplify the final negotiations.” See how that works in the summary.

The Senate passed its $22.9 billion budget after 3am on Friday morning. The 800 page document (SB257, Appropriations Act of 2017) was presented during a press conference on Tuesday, May 9, and posted online late Tuesday night. On Wednesday, the proposed budget cleared a series of committees and the required two votes in the Senate began on Thursday and wrapped up early Friday morning. The two votes cannot be held on the same day; therefore, the Senate went into recess after the first vote and reconvened after midnight for the final vote. Amendments offered by Democratic Senators were all voted down, and the budget passed 32-15 in a party line vote.

But in the process, the Republican leadership made a move of unparalleled pettiness and vindictiveness that hits a new political low. Frustrated by the delay created by the budget amendments offered by Democrats, the Republican leadership retaliated by slashing a million dollars in education funds from two poverty-stricken Democratic districts.See: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article150397682.html, 5/13/17.

Read more about the Senate’s budget, which includes a billion-dollar tax cut package, and next steps for the budget, at NC NOW Legislative Update #15. You’ll also find updates on ERA, Lawsuits, and our bill tracking.

It’s been almost two months since the Women’s March drew a half million protesters to Washington, an estimated 30,000 people to a sister rally in downtown Raleigh, and people to 12 more marches around NC that same day. The question on everyone’s mind – including the News & Observer is – “What next?”

Photo Credit: Carly Jones

At the James B Hunt Library at NC State University, four of the organizers of the Women’s March on Raleigh were asked to sit on a panel to answer questions from the N & O, as well as ABC11 and an audience of about 100+ people. Panelists were

In “Tillis is open to town halls, minus shouting,” 3/6/17, N&O, Senator Thom Tillis alleges that people who go to his town hall meetings shout and call names, so he doesn’t go. In fact, he has not been to a town hall meeting this year (the $25 a head Durham Chamber of Commerce meeting on March 6 does not count, nor does the March 7th phone call he offered with only an hours’ notice on social media). It is natural he does not know what to expect.

Senator Tillis, we have been to two town hall meetings held in your honor, and you’ve got it all wrong.

First, the people there are not scary or menacing. They look like, well, people. You don’t have to take our word for it though, there are lots of pictures online.

Speakers lined up at this town hall meeting to share their concerns and fears. Respectful pictures of Senators Tillis and Burr at front of room. Photo Credit: Sarah Sydney

In “Tillis is open to town halls, minus shouting,” 3/6/17, N&O, Senator Thom Tillis said “he would host town hall meetings with constituents, but only if they were done without shouting or name calling.” Some friends and I have attended 4 town halls between us in the past few weeks. All four town halls have all been orderly events filled with people who really want to talk about their concerns, or share their stories. We’ve heard no shouting in any of them, although three of the four were ones with absent elected officials – Congressman Holding and Senators Burr and Tillis were refusing to hold them. Congressman David Price held the fourth (actually Price is holding a round of town halls), and by many accounts, his constituents left feeling heard. But even if people do actually shout at a town hall meeting, it is part of Tillis’ job to face the consequences of his actions!

The coverage of the town hall meetings has been interesting. When CBS affiliate WNCN covered a town hall meeting in Apex absent Congressman George Holding, they covered it with the title “North Carolina congressmen avoid facing angry town hall crowds in person,” and showed people in larger town halls elsewhere sounding off. However, the Apex Town Hall meeting on Feb 23, 2017, was more than civil. The organizers allowed everyone to speak who wanted to speak. We heard from over 70 concerned constituents on a wide range of issues. Most people were from Apex. There were great energy and ideas flowing in the room! The coverage of people at the Apex town hall was accurate, but the framing of the story (starting with the title) may have been misleading

I am outraged that Senators Burr and Tillis’ votes for Education Secretary nominee Betsy DeVos have thrown North Carolina’s children under the bus – the school bus. Senator Tillis even served as PTA President for his daughter’s High School, but that didn’t stop him from putting in office an unqualified – but filthy rich – nominee who many believe is hostile to public education. And let it be made clear this is not proof of supporting women in leadership – both Tillis and Burr have blocked well qualified African-American nominees like Loretta Lynch, Jennifer May Parker and Patricia Timmons-Goodsen.

DeVos has no personal experience in public education, not as student, parent, teacher or administration. In fact, she has worked to undermine public education, spending more than two decades promoting taxpayer-subsidized vouchers for private and parochial school tuition and promoting publicly funded but privately run charter schools. She also tried to strip teacher unions of their influence.